10 Signs Your Employees Are Growing Complacent In Their Careers

The workplace is in transition, and so are many people with their careers. More than ever, people are feeling a sense of disengagement at work as they grow frustrated with the uncertainty and lack of long-term stability that surrounds them. Today’s workplace environment is growing worrisome for many because their employers can’t provide them the guaranteed security they seek, while they are expected to do more for less. Managing your career, whether employed or not, has become a full-time responsibility. The mere thought of what is involved to reach your desired career destination has become exhausting for many. As such, people are beginning to grow complacent about their futures and are losing their motivation to compete.

This was quite apparent when I met recently with a Fortune 500 executive, who said,

“I am burned out and tired of the nonsense. I used to enjoy coming to work, putting in long hours, competing and helping the organization succeed. Now, coming into work is increasingly frustrating. It’s hard to trust anyone’s intentions and it feels like a survival of the fittest environment with very little loyalty. I am not inspired to put in the extra hours – as I don’t have any real incentive. I just do my job well, play the political game, smile and get my check.”

Many people find it difficult to stay on one singular career path. But just how often do people change careers? This is a difficult question to pinpoint, but according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person born in the latter years of the baby boom (1957-1964) held 11.3 jobs from age 18 to age 46. Nearly half of these jobs were held from ages 18 to 24.

What is the takeaway? Many people struggle to find the job and career path that inspires and ultimately gives them the happiness and motivation to succeed in a meaningful and purposeful way. When we speak of purpose, we first think of ourselves. This is natural, and I will not tell you it is wrong. Perhaps we might say we are survivors by nature and thrivers by nurture. Yet an individual’s primary purpose for existence cannot begin and end with oneself, for no true purpose is exclusive to self. A true purpose must include others. Every great purpose is outside the individual.

Show me one who works only for himself, and I’ll show you short-lived success. Show me a company with self-serving practices, and I’ll show you a short-lived business. In the end, it’s all about people.

As organizations aim to reinvent themselves, leaders should be on the lookout for the following behavioral cues to assure their employees are not becoming complacent in their careers during a time when they are needed most:

1. Disengaged

Pay close attention to how focused your employees are in their work. Gauge their excitement with new responsibilities and engagement with their colleagues. Are they taking it upon themselves to be collaborative and focused on moving departmental objectives forward? Or are they lost in the clouds, working fewer hours and only doing just enough to get the job done?

When their head and their heart are not into it anymore, this is a strong warning sign that they may have checked out.

2. Stop Thinking

When your employees are not asking questions, challenging themselves and others, this is cause for concern; for one, they have stopped adding value. When they have decided to just go with the flow, they have decided to stop thinking, and are only concerned about executing what they are being told what to do.

A recent study by my organization revealed that employees are not thinking beyond the obvious and are playing it too safe at work. Because of the fear of losing their jobs, they don’t want to be viewed as overly disruptive and they don’t want to be perceived as a non-team player.

3. Stop Taking Initiative

When employees stop thinking, they are on the path of becoming unproductive and complacent. They stop taking the lead on their assigned tasks and lose their desire to inspire others to follow them. In fact, they begin to follow more than lead and their attitude becomes more noticeably distant.